Cloth-measuring machine



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

0.1. vMGKESSON.

CLOTH MEASURING MACHINE. No. 368,410. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

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GLOTH MBASURING MACHINE. No. 368,410. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

UNITED STATES orrAnLEs L. MoKEssoN,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF LONGTON, KANSAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,410, dated August16, 1887.

Application filed July 2l, 1886.

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES; L. MolinssoN, a citizen of the 'UnitedStates, residing at Longton, in the county of Elk and State of Kansas,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Cloth MeasuringMachines, constituting a merchants assistant; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description oftheinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to cloth-measuring apparatus.

rIhe object is to provide an apparatus of cheap and simple constructionby which fabrics may be easily and rapidly measured, and which maybereadily attached to and detached from a counter or table in the store ofa'drygoods or other merchant dealing in fabrics that have to bemeasured, thus constituting a merchants assistant.

The invention consists in the combination, with a base or frame providedwith means for measuring and winding the goods, of an easily detachablereceptacle, in which the material to be measured is placed.

The invention further consists in the peculiar construction of certainparts employed in the apparatus, as will be hereinafter moreparticularly described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illust-rating a machine constructed inaccordance with my invention, Figure lis an isometricview showing theapparatus attached to a counter and ready for operation. Fig. 2 is anisometric view of an improved device for holding and revolving the boardupon which the cloth is to be wound. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing themeans for operating the registering device. Fig. 4 illustrates anapparatus provided with an additional standard for supporting the shaftof theboard-holder when extraordinarily heavy material-carpet, foreXauiple-is to be measured and wound. Fig. 5 illustrates detail viewsofthe tension device. Fig. 6 is an enlarged View, in isometricperspective, of the movable end piece in the receptacle for the clothwhich is to be measured and wound,

Serial No.208,594. (No model.)

and Fig. 7 an isometric view of the clamp or bracket for securing thebase containing the measuring and winding apparatus in place.

Where` like symbols of reference occur in different figures of thedrawings they indicate corresponding parts.

The letter A designates a base having suitable standards, in whichrollers C and D are journalcd. rIhe roller C is provided with a wormengaging a toothed gear, I, mounted on a shaft, J, provided at its endwith a hand or pointer, which, in connection with adial, will indicatethc units measured. The mechanism for registering may of v course bevaried or changed to suit circumstances. It is prefer'- ably inclosedwithin a box or case, E.

On the top of the case E is secured, in suitable bearings, the shaft ofthe board-holding device F, which consists of a rod, f, made cylindricalon one end, where it is supported in bearings, and bifurcatcd orbroadened, as at f3, at the other end. It is further provided With ashoulder or stop, fl, rising in a plane at right angles to the plane ofthe bifurcatcd portion. An arm, j, having a cross-piece, f5, at one endand a screw, f, in the other, is pivoted to the rod f, so that the boardG may be placed between the cross-piece f5 and the bifurcated end f3 andclamped in place by simply turning the screwj" in the proper direction.A crank,f, on one end is used for revolving the board-holder. The base Ais clamped to the counter or table by means of clamps or brackets A.(See Fig. 7

The clamps or brackets are made of metal in the form of a rectangularframe, with one end omitted, as illustrated in Fig. 7. rlhesc clampsembrace the edges of the counter or table and the base A, which latteris held firmly in place by turning up the set-screw A2 in the lower armof the clamp against the under side of the table. rIhis arm of the clampisalso provided with suitable hooks, for a purpose hereinafter stated.

The letter B designates the box or receptacle into which the roll ofgoods to bc measured and wound is first placed. This receptacle ispreferably made of sheet metal, and is Itis proalittle greater than ahal f-cylind er.

vided with two heads or end pieces, Bl and B2 one of which, B', ismovable, and the other, B2, fixed. The inner faces of these heads act asguides for the edges of the fabric to be measured as it is being drawnbetween the rollers.

One ofthe heads is ymade movable, in order that fabrics of dierent widthmay be placed therein. It is essential, however, that means for fixingthe head in the desired position should be provided, and in the presentin` stance the said means consists of a band, b, having one end securedto the head, the other passed around the box B and again (but removably)secured to the head by means of a pin or equivalentdevice, as clearlyillustrated in Fig. 6.

The receptacle B is removably attached or suspended to the edge of thecounter or table below the roller, and for this purposeit is providedwith eyes or hoops, two of which (not shown) are formed upon the rearedge of the receptacle, and the other two, c c', upon the ends of armsor rods c2 c2 on the front edge, which engage the hooks c3 upon theunder side of the clamp A', hereinafter referred to. y

In order to regulate the freedom with which the rollers are to turn, Iprovide a tension device constructed substantially as shown in Fig. 5.This device is composed of two parts, vm m, hinged or secured togetherin any suitable way at one end, and havingcurved faces m', lined withleather or similar material, to fit upon the opposite sides of the shaftof oneof v the rollers. The free ends n n of these parts are providedwith a thumb-screw, o, by means of which the parts are brought togetherand thus made to bear upon the shaft with the force necessary to producethe desired friction to retard its revolution.

The tension or friction device is constructed so that when it is placedon the shaft that portion which is between the shaft and the base or theclamp A will, by its contact with said base or clamp, be prevented fromturning when the shaft is turned.-

It is obvious that the lower member m could be secured on the base or onthe upper arm of the clamp, or that the said lower member m could bemade in the form of a block having the curved socket at its upper sideto lit upon the shaft and its lower side plane to fit against the base.As illustrated, it is employed upon the shaft of the roller D 5 but itvwould require no great skill to adapt it for use on the shaft of theroller C.

Another form of tension device is illustrated in Fig. 1, and thisconsists of a block, p, having its under side curved, pivoted in theside of the case E, and a cam-piece, p', also pivoted in the side of thecase E, adapted to be turned down against the block p to cause it tobear with the desired force upon the shaft of the roller C.

For measuring and winding very heavy fabric the board-holding device Fis removed from the machine and in its place a rod, O, substituted, andin order that it may be firmly supported I provide a standard,P. Thisstandard is detachably secured to the projection R 7o on the base Abymeans of a screw, Q, or other fastening device.

My machine is attached to a counter in the following manner: The base A,containing the measuring and winding apparatus, is placed on the topthereof so that its front edge is in alignment with the edge of thecounter. The

clamps A are next slipped over both edges and the set-screws A2 turnedup until the base y is firmly secured to the counter. tacle B is then4attached to the hook by'means of the hooks or eyes upon its rear edgeand those designated c c upon its front edge,when the whole is ready foruse.

In operation a roll 'of fabric is placed in the 8 5 receptacle B, themovable head B being adjusted with respect to the fixed head in suchmanner that the roll may just fit therebetween. 'Ihe end of the materialis then passed between the rollers, after which it may be 9o wound uponthe board G in an obvious manner, the register in the meanwhileindicating the units of measure passed between the rollers.

It is, of course, plain that the material may thus be measured and woundeither for putting the same in stock or for retail sale, in which lattercase it is slipped from the board and folded in a neat compact bundle.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,'isf 1.. Thecombination, with a base or frame provided with means for measuring andwinding fabrics, and with means for detachably sef curing it to acounter, of a trough or receptacle to contain the material to bemeasured and wound, provided with means for detachably securing it inposition, as set forth.

2. In a cloth-measuring apparatus, the re- 1ro ceptacle B, providedwithavmovable head, B', and a fixed head, B, means for securing themovable head in place, consisting of a strap,

b, secured to said head at one end and encircling the trough orreceptacle, and means for 1x5 detachably securing the other end to thehead after it has been drawn tightly about the receptacle, as set-forth.

3. In a cloth-measuring apparatus, the herein-described board-holdingdevice,comprising 12o a rod made cylindrical at one end and havingitsother end bifurcated or broadened, and provided with a shoulder orstop, f2, rising in a plane at right angles to the plane of thebifurcated portion, and lever f 4, swinging on a fixed. I 25 pivot inthe rod, and provided with the broadened end f and a setscrew, f,operating sub stantially as described` and shown.

4. In cloth-measuring apparatus, the combination, with the shaft of arevolving meas- 13o uring-roll, of a friction or tension deviceconsisting of the parts m m, having their inner The recep- 8o Havingthus described my invention, what 10o faces curved7 and means,substantially as descrew, A2, and hooks C, substantially as described,for compressing and separating said scribed. parts,the device beingsecured to the machine In testimony whereof I affix my signature in byclamping to the shaft t0 be held against presence of two witnesses. 5turning to act as a brake, substantially as de- CHARLES L. MCKESSON.

scribed. Witnesses:

5. In a cloth measuring apparatus, the JONATHAN FRAZIER,

brackets or clamps A', provided with a set- J. J. HUMBY.

